AMERICAN LEAGUE
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Red Sox 5, Twins 2
BOSTON — Daisuke Matsuzaka won for only the second time since early August, David Ortiz homered for the fourth time in seven games as Boston captured its first AL East title in 12 years. Mike Lowell had two RBIs and Ortiz stretched his streak for reaching base to 11 straight plate appearances with a double and single before grounding out. Matsuzaka (15-12) set the tone by striking out his first two batters, and he let only one runner get past first base until the Twins closed to 4-2 in the seventh on Justin Morneau’s 31st homer and Brian Buscher’s run-scoring groundout. Jonathan Papelbon finished for his 37th save in 40 opportunities.
Orioles 10, Yankees 9, 10 innings
BALTIMORE — Alex Rodriguez hit his 54th homer, drove in four runs and scored twice, but a rare blown save by Mariano Rivera allowed Melvin Mora to bunt home the winning run and end the Yankees’ string of nine straight division titles. Rodriguez has 155 RBIs, tied with Joe DiMaggio for the 10th most in Yankees history, and the highest total since 1937. Johnny Damon also homered for New York, which became the first team in major league history to hit 200 home runs in eight consecutive seasons.
Blue Jays 5, Devil Rays 4
TORONTO — Adam Lind hit a two-run homer, Matt Stairs added a solo shot and the Blue Jays won for the fourth time in five games. Carlos Pena hit his 45th home run, giving him a team-record 12 in September, and Jorge Velandia had a two-run homer as Tampa Bay lost for the eighth time in 10 games.
White Sox 5, Tigers 2
CHICAGO — Paul Konerko hit a three-run home run and Jim Thome hit his 506th career homer to lead the White Sox past the Tigers. Javier Vazquez (15-8) pitched 72⁄3 solid innings for the White Sox, who have won eight of their last 12 games.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cubs 6, Reds 0
CINCINNATI — Alfonso Soriano hit another leadoff homer, Carlos Zambrano kept his cool and the Chicago Cubs clinched the NL Central. Thousands of Chicago fans made the five-hour road trip and cheered every move by the Cubs, who earned their first playoff spot since 2003 when Milwaukee later lost to San Diego 6-3. Since returning from a strained thigh that sidelined him for most of August, Soriano has gone on a tear. He has 13 homers in September, matching Ernie Banks’ record of 50 years ago.
Diamondbacks 4, Rockies 2
DENVER — Brandon Webb and the Diamondbacks clinched their playoff spot, stopping the Rockies’ 11-game winning streak and putting a crimp in their postseason plans. Arizona’s win combined with the New York Mets’ loss to Florida put Arizona into the postseason for the first time since 2002.
Phillies 6, Nationals 0
PHILADELPHIA — Cole Hamels struck out 13 in eight dominant innings, Ryan Howard hit his 45th homer and the Phillies moved closer to ending a 14-year playoff drought. Hamels (15-5) shut down the Nationals with an overpowering fastball and his trademark changeup. Clay Condrey finished the six-hitter for Philadelphia’s fifth shutout.
Marlins 7, Mets 4
NEW YORK — Third baseman David Wright missed an easy force play, Oliver Perez hit a pair of batters with the bases loaded and the Mets stumbled out of the NL East lead. Jeremy Hermida hit a two-run homer, Hanley Ramirez had three hits and Dan Uggla scored three runs for the Marlins.
Padres 6, Brewers 3
MILWAUKEE — Khalil Greene hit a go-ahead double and drove in three runs as the wild card-leading Padres eliminated the Brewers from postseason contention. Greg Maddux (14-11) gave up three runs and six hits in five innings for his 347th win.
Braves 7, Astros 2
HOUSTON — Jeff Francoeur hit the go-ahead two-run homer as the Braves beat the Astros. Rookie left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes (2-2) gave up two runs and seven hits in 62⁄3 innings one night after the Braves were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to Philadelphia.
Associated Press